my personal fave is as follows... "give someone a hug give a hug next to ya, give someone a hug and sing along! give someone a hug give a hug next to ya, give someone a hug and sing, sing a....hallalalal le haleleluia halalallaleluia....."
that one always really made me think, think about jesus and the blood he shed for my sins, but more importantly, whether or not i was excited to hug the person next to me at devo. (sometimes i wished it was, "hold someones hand going out style next to ya....halalalaleliua...)

i've got a friend, marc, in case that matters, who used to drive an ambulance. sometimes he was the helper dude in the back, and the day the following story takes place, he was the dude in the back.

there was this really old lady, basically breathing her last breaths, and he wanted to comfort her, so he was stroking her forehead (not noticing until someone pointed it out that he was pulling her hair with his blue latex gloves) while singing to her...

"Troubles will soon be o’er, happy forever more. When we meet on that shore, free from all care. Rising up in the sky, telling this world goodbye, homeward we then will fly, glory to share.

Jesus is coming soon, morning or night or noon. Many will meet their doom, trumpets will sound. All of the dead shall rise, righteous meet in the sky, going where no one dies, Heavenward bound!"

by the time he realized what he was singing to comfort her, it was too late, he was committed.

RM: Haha...oh that's terrible, and wonderful all at the same time.

Tara: I sometimes wanted it to go, "Tell someone they are creepy, tell someone they are creepy next to ya, tell someone they are creepy and sing, sing a - halalalalalalaleluja!"

I still love it when we sing The Days of Elijah. What a great song for alienation! Half of the people who have been Christians all their lives don't even get the references in that song. It must be so joyful for visitors to hear it! That song should only be sung at Bible Major Retreats. And even then they would get mad and argue about the fact that David did not in fact "rebuild the temple of praise".

Good times.

David tried, but was denied. But it is a good tune.

I like "So many fallen by the wayside, Lord help me to stand!"

screw the others, get me on that damn rock!

or "I stood condemned but he took my place, he bore it all that I might live!"

(with a southern drawl) Yipppie, Jesus died, Yeeehaaaw!

One of Jess' favorites is "Show me the Bible". I wish I could even remember all the words 'cause it's a doozie. We love worshiping the Bible instead of God!

... sometimes you guys turn into COCs and I don't know what to say. I've never heard any of your crazy Jesus songs. Especially the one about Jesus wanting to create a zombie army in heaven... you know... when the dead rise and go to the place where no one ever dies... i mean, what else could it mean? honestly?

I won’t defend most of these songs. While it is true that Jesus said: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” I don’t think it makes for uplifting song lyrics, i.e.: many will meet their doom, or so many fallin’ by the wayside.

However, I’ll take up the banner for Days of Elijah.

Someone wrote a song that makes me think or gets me to open my Bible? I think it is ok for a song to occasionally challenge the congregants, God-followers or not.

You don’t think the author; Robin Mark knew what he was talking about when he wrote “These are the days of Your servant David, rebuilding a temple of praise”? Well, he says he did and he wrote a short explanation here (go read it). It was David in 1 Chronicles 16 who instituted a practice of praise and worship in the presence of God, which at that time was manifest in the Ark. Now that God’s presence is manifest everywhere don’t you think we should be calling people to institute a practice of praise and worship everywhere?

Not to mention calling people to righteous living like Moses when he delivered the law. Or how about being called to stand up in a culture where you feel isolated and alone and speak the word of the Lord, like Elijah? Then my favorite, what must Ezekiel have thought when he saw flesh re-appear on skeletons? God, the healer, wants to take the dead, dry bones that are this broken world and give them life.

Throw in a snappy chorus about the joy found when Jesus comes into someone’s life and you’ve got yourself a hit.

Jason! I feel so chastised!

I do agree, it is a great song. I am all for songs that are actually biblically based. And I have a soft spot for old testament themes, as I think they get widely ignored in church, unless you are in Little Kid Sunday School. My point, however unrefined, was that it may not be the best choice for "Bring A Friend Sunday!". Also, we sing it a lot at teen events. I am all for that, but I think they could use a little background on the themes. I know I never learned a lot of that stuff until college (of course I am a classic slacker, so that could be the problem).

All that said, I still hope we sing it at Faith Quest....hint hint.

Jason, I didn't know I needed to do any research before commenting...

One time we went out to Sidney with the Metcalfs and we didn't have anything to entertain us except a song book. It was perhaps one of the greatest nights of my life. "We found some absolute classics."( Say that in the voice of Spike from Notting Hill) We also found every rediculous and evil one. Oh, there are some goodies...

" I want a mansion just over the hilltop... I want a mansion, a robe and a f*#@&*# crown. " Now there's a greedy song!

I'm particularly fond of those Stamps Baxter songs with the unbearably perky tune to go along with descriptions of Christ's suffering and pain. That's classy.

LOL i like when jen says, "a robe and a f*@%*^$ crown"!!
cause im pretty sure that my "hymns of Praise" didnt have the f word in it....but i like your version better.

Unbelievable! Immediately after I finished reading Ryan's post and all the comments I walked into the little tiny auditorium of my church here in Sidney. On the front pew was a "Songs of the Church" song book (21st Edition, by the way). But this was no ordinary, hardback song book that you'll find in thousands of church's across the states. No...this thing is about two and a half times larger, has a nice soft leather binding, has those really thin bible type pages, has the gold edging on the pages, and even has those notches in the side so you can get to the "chapters" easier. When I leave this church...I'm stealing that thing and putting it in a glass coffee table.

Dear Kevin Woods,
Hi. I don't know if you remember me or not, but I'm the good kid. You know, the one that costed you no money, pain, or worry in the early years of her life? She's also the one who doesn't say "Give me an effing crown", "Lucky Ho Bag", offer to baptize people in goat pavillions, or post nude pictures of her husband on the internet. Oh, and I don't condone stealing from church either. Unless it's an effing bad ace pseudo velvet tiger pillow being "borrowed" from children who don't respect it's composure of awesome. Then it's ok. But for the most part, you can claim me, if you choose to disown the other 3 1/2 (Ben- you're the 1/2- just so you know...)
thanks for everything,
The 42Management

Dearest daughter, Arena. You're #1. It's with deep reluctance that I demote the 3.5 other children. (By the way, you forgot the sleeping naked camping trip story that was published for the world to fanaticize over.)
Wait. YOU took the tiger pillow? YOU? (deep sigh)

Kevin and Brenda are accepting applications again.

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